Defy The Alpha(s) - Chapter 605
Chapter 605: Finally Home
“Brothers and sisters of the West,” Elder Kent began, his voice thundering across the crowd. “We gather here tonight before heaven and earth, wolves and men alike, to crown the next Alpha of the West Pack, one chosen not by chance, but by blood, by strength, and by the will of the goddess herself!”
Everyone lifted their heads, watching attentively. Not making a sound.
The elder continued.
“Alpha Asher, do you accept the mantle of leadership over the West Pack? Do you swear to protect your people from all threats, within and without? To uphold the values of the pack, to honor the goddess, to guide with strength and fairness, and to never turn your back on the call of your people?”
Asher answered with a steady voice. “I do.”
It was the turn of the priestess, one of the moon mothers who served in Selene’s temple. She was a tall elegant woman draped in a white flowing dress.
“Under the watchful eyes of the goddess,” she said, “speak now your vow to your people.”
Asher turned not to the sub-alphas, nor elders, nor even the high-ranking wolves in the front rows. No, his gaze rested on the mothers, the children, and the old—the ones who had endured the most and asked for the least.
His gaze particularly lingered on a woman near the edge of the gathering. She carried a small child on her hip, the boy’s tiny fingers clinging to her shoulder as if his life depended on it. Her wide eyes met Asher’s.
Hope. Fear. Faith. It was all there in that single look.
And when Asher spoke, it was as if he spoke directly to her.
“I stand before you not as my father’s son, but as your Alpha,” he began, his voice rough yet commanding. “From this night onward, no woman of this pack will live in fear under my rule. No child will grow hungry or cold while I draw breath. The strong will protect the weak, not prey on them. Every voice—male or female, highborn or lowborn, human or wolf—will have a place in this pack.”
His words rolled through the silence, stirring the crowd like a storm wind.
“I will not lead you with cruelty, nor will I turn away from the cries of those in pain. The West Pack will no longer be known for its hunger for dominance, but for its strength in unity. We will not bow to fear, nor yield to corruption. Not while I lead.”
The crowd was utterly still. Some even held their breath, spellbound by Asher’s words.
Asher fixed his gaze on the woman. “You have my word,” he promised her. “You and your children are safe with me.”
A single voice broke the silence.
“Alpha Asher!”
It was the woman he’d looked at. Her voice cracked but rang with pride.
Then another joined her.
“Alpha Asher!”
And another.
Then ten. Then fifty. And more.
Soon, all the women of the West pack were crying out. Their voices filled the air, breaking centuries of silence and submission. It was a sound both beautiful and terrifying—like a dam bursting, centuries of buried pain finally finding release.
The men glanced around uneasily, unused to seeing their women so bold. But none dared interrupt. Asher stood tall and unyielding, pride swelling in his chest. This was exactly the change he wanted to bring.
The priestess stepped forward, carrying a small earthen calabash filled with a strange mixture. The scent of herbs wafted through his nostrils and she said to Asher, “Bow, Alpha.”
Asher sank to one knee.
The priestess dipped her fingers into the calabash and smeared the mixture across his forehead in three strokes.
“Let his ears be opened to the cries of his people,” she intoned.
“Let his heart be filled with compassion, his mind with wisdom.”
“Let his hands never tremble when he must protect his own.”
At first, it seemed like a normal ritual until it happened.
There was a sudden rush, like wind roaring through his skull, while his heartbeat thundered.
And then, he heard it. The voices of his people in his head.
The mindlink had opened.
Unlike Roman, Griffin, and Alaric, whose bond had awakened through their mate, Asher’s had been unlocked by the goddess herself. The goddess had touched him.
The sheer weight of it struck him, yet Asher did not falter. So this was what leadership felt like. What seemed like a thousand voices echoed in his mind, each one a responsibility he had chosen to bear.
Elder Kent stepped forward once more, holding a thick fur. Lifting it high, he announced with a loud voice.
“Before the eyes of the goddess and the hearts of her people, I ordain thee, Asher Nightshade, son of Henry, Alpha of the West Pack. May your reign bring balance, and may your claws bring justice.”
He lowered the fur around Asher’s shoulders.
The crowd went utterly still. Then, one by one, they lifted their heads and howled to the night sky.
From the center of the courtyard, and spreading outward into the streets, the pack howled in unison, displaying a beautiful vision of wolves calling to the moon, to their Alpha, and to their future.
“Hell yeah!” Roman whooped over the noise, his grin stretching wide before he threw back his head and howled the loudest of all.
Jeremiah joined next. Then Ezra. Everyone — even those who had collided against Asher’s reign from the start. No one dared be the odd one out, not when the pack’s affection had shifted so completely toward their new Alpha.
At the corner, Nancy clapped her hands so hard her palms stung. She was so proud of Asher.
Elder Kent raised Asher’s hand high.
“West Pack,” he proclaimed. “I present to you Alpha Asher!”
The chant began slowly, then built into a frenzy. “Alpha Asher! Alpha Asher!”
Asher’s chest swelled, pride and purpose blazing through him. He lifted his head and howled so fierce it echoed far beyond the packhouse walls.
The response was deafening.
And for the first time in his life, Asher felt truly, completely home.